Impeachment trial of President Trump

By Fernando Alfonso III and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 3:26 PM ET, Sat January 25, 2020
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12:15 p.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Schiff: Trump's team is "trying to deflect, distract from, and distort the truth"

Following the conclusion of their opening arguments today, Rep. Adam Schiff tweeted that President Trump's legal team is "trying to deflect, distract from, and distort the truth."

Here's his tweet:

12:10 p.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Here's how Trump's lawyer wrapped up the defense's argument for the day

White House counsel Pat Cipollone concluded the first two hours of the President's team's opening argument.

"We ask you out of respect to think about, think about whether what you've heard would really suggest to anybody anything other that would be completely irresponsible abuse of power to do what they're asking you to do. To stop an election, to interfere in an election and remove the President of the United States from the ballot? Let the people decide for themselves."

He concluded: "That's what the founders wanted, that's what we should all want, and with that, I thank you for your attention and I look forward to seeing you on Monday."

The trial has been adjourned until Monday afternoon.

Hear the final remarks from today's proceedings:

12:04 p.m. ET, January 25, 2020

The trial has ended for the day

Senate TV
Senate TV

Trump's team finished their arguments for the day. They will reconvene on Monday at 1 p.m. ET.

12:02 p.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Trump attorney says their presentation today will be over "in a few minutes"

Senate TV
Senate TV

White House counsel Pat Cipollone just said at the podium, "I have good news. Just a few more minutes from us today."

The Trump team said earlier that they would be wrapping up by 1 p.m. ET at the latest.

11:48 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Fact check: If the Senate votes to convict Trump, it does not automatically disqualify him from holding public office

From CNN's Daniel Dale

Senate TV
Senate TV

In his opening argument on Saturday morning, White House counsel Pat Cipollone alleged that Democrats are asking Americans to “remove President Trump from the ballot” in the 2020 election and “tear up all of the ballots.”

Facts First: If the Senate does vote to convict Trump, it does not automatically disqualify him from holding future public office. It would take an additional vote on that specific question to bar him from ever holding public office. Democrats however have said that Trump’s actions do warrant disqualification. 

Conviction in an impeachment trial requires the support of two-thirds of the Senate. Disqualification requires only a simple post-conviction majority. 

In their articles of impeachment, the House Democrats said: “ Wherefore President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States."

11:46 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Here's what senators are doing while Trump's defense speaks

From CNN's Alex Rogers

Senate TV
Senate TV

On the first day of the White House counsel's arguments, Republican senators did not play with fidget spinners or doodle. Instead, many were seen taking notes.

When attorney Pat Cipollone talked about how impeachment would overturn the results of the last election, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, picked up her pen.

When Cipollone said impeachment would remove the President from the ballot in November, Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, picked up her pen as well.

Sens. Joni Ernst, Lamar Alexander, Cory Gardner, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and David Perdue were all seen writing after counsel Mike Purpura gave a list of claims refuting the Democrats' arguments from the past week.

Collins and Murkowski picked up their pens again when Purpura cited Marie Yovanovitch, the former US Ambassador to Ukraine, and White House adviser Tim Morrison in saying that the Javelin anti-tank missiles sales mentioned on the Trump-Zelensky July 25 call "were unrelated" to the withheld security assistance.

Sen. Mitt Romney picked up his pen when Purpura said "it's absolutely fatal" to the House managers' case that Ukraine didn't know the aid was held up until Politico reported it.

Some of the Democrats were holding up their heads with their hands. Sen. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, paid close attention to the clips and Sen. Doug Jones, of Alabama, continued to take notes.

Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, was mentioned a few times, but maintained a deadpan demeanor.

11:28 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Fact check: White House counsel claims Ukraine did not know about the hold on military aid

From CNN's Holmes Lybrand

Senate TV/AP
Senate TV/AP

During the trial, White House counsel Mike Purpura argued that Ukraine did not know military aid was being withheld at the time of the phone call, so there could effectively be no quid pro quo between the parties.

 “President Zelensky and high-ranking Ukrainian officials did not even know,” Purpura argued, “the security assistance was paused until the end of August, over a month after the July 25 call.”

 Facts First: It’s unclear when exactly top Ukrainian government officials knew that nearly $400 million in military and security aid was being withheld. But there is evidence that some of them suspected there was an issue with the funding as early as July 25, the same day as President Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to testimony from Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, some members of her staff told her that they had received queries about the aid from Ukrainian officials on July 25.

Cooper did not, however, know if the Ukrainian officials were aware of a hold on the aid or were just checking in.

The New York Times reported that, according to Olena Zerkal, an ex-top official in Kiev, members of the Ukrainian government knew the aid was being held up at some point in late July, but Zerkal could not recall the exact date.

As Purpura noted, the withholding of military aid was not brought up in meetings between Ukraine and US officials. It wasn’t until Politico reported in late August that Trump was withholding military aid to Ukraine that top Zelensky adviser, Andrey Yermak, texted Kurt Volker, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, with a link to the article and a message “we need to talk.” 

This could be due to the unusual process of how the aid was withheld.

The Office of Management and Budget has declined to turn over documents to investigators related to the withholding of the aid.

11:23 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Schiff sat expressionless and looked at White House counsel as they played his remarks from hearing

From CNN's Manu Raju

Senate TV
Senate TV

As the President’s defense team began their opening statements, senators on both sides were in their seats, taking notes, and attentive this morning.

As White House deputy counsel Mike Purpura showed the clip from the acting director of national intelligence hearing where House manager Adam Schiff described Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Schiff looked at him and was watching along without expression.

Some context: The President has repeatedly attacked how Schiff characterized the Zelensky call during that hearing. 

It's worth noting that Schiff's comments were from a House Intelligence hearing with acting DNI Joseph Maguire's about his handling of the whistleblower complaint that kickstarted the impeachment proceedings. It was not an official impeachment hearing.

That being said, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did announce that House Committees (including House Intel) would begin a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump on Sept. 24, two days before the hearing in question. 

More about the Zelensky phone call: On July 25, President Trump spoke on the phone with Zelensky and pressed him to investigate Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading 2020 rival.

Watch the moment Schiff's remarks were played:

11:16 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

There were cheers in the White House Senate prep room during Trump team's presentation, source says

From CNN's Kaitlan Collins

There were cheers in the Vice President’s Senate office after White House deputy counsel Mike Purpura concluded his argument just moments ago, a person familiar told CNN.

That’s where White House officials have set up shop during the trial this week.